IF HE WERE ANY DUMBER... (via Mike Daley)

State Dept. Sees North Korea as Ready for 6-Way Negotiations (DAVID STOUT, July 31, 2003, NY Times)

North Korea now appears to be ready to talk to the United States and four other nations about its nuclear weapons program in what could be a significant diplomatic thaw, Bush administration officials said today.

The North Korean government has long insisted on one-on-one talks with Washington on nuclear issues, but the Bush administration has always rejected that idea, saying it would not give in to what it called "blackmail."

So if North Korea has indeed shifted its stance, and if the shift is more than momentary, the way could be open for talks that would include not only diplomats from Pyongyang and Washington but representatives from China, South Korea, Russia and Japan as well. There was no immediate word on where or when these new talks might take place

What does that make the score?

Shrub--12

Conventional Wisdom--0 Posted by Orrin Judd at July 31, 2003 6:15 PM